Thursday, 31 December 2015

Holly Simpson, an entrepreneur from London, has launched a luxury accessory brand for dogs named Teddy Maximus.

The luxury items range from collars made in the English countryside to beds made with the heart of design in Somerset.

I was kindly sent the *Teddy Maximus Sky Blue Dog Bow Tie for my three pooches to share and wear and today they starred in a mini photo shoot in the living room where they were nice and snug.

The bow tie arrived packaged beautifully in pink tissue paper with sequin stars with the addition of a look book.

The bow tie has elasticated loops on the back so that you can thread it through your doggies collar.

This sky blue is such a lovely colour and this one in particular features dogs' head and little bow ties. It feels excellent quality and is sturdy so it will last. They are priced at £14.99 and you can find this particular one here.

How gorgeous is little Teddy Maximus pictured here in his bow tie (taken from the look book.) Teddy Maximus is a Dachshund and he looks absolutely adorable.

Here's a variety of items that Teddy Maximus sells and I particularly love the pink Shetland collection even though I have all boys! For each of the toy bones sold, £1 is donated to the Dogs' Trust Charity which is so lovely to raise money for dogs that aren't as fortunate.

Here's my little Whippet Alfie modelling the bow. This is a perfect size for Alfie as he is small. On whippet collars it's quite hard to thread through the width and so a thin collar would be needed for a more polished look for my little prince. Alfie's favourite toy is the dice pictured here. He even takes it to bed with him. I bought him some new ones for his Birthday, exactly the same, and he's not interested. He wants his well loved one!

I think the bow quite suits my chocolate point Persian - Bobby Chocolate Bobbin. The colour of the bow compliments his fur beautifully.

Chewie, my adopted Pugzu, was the hardest to photograph. He would not stay still. He was too busy chasing after treats. His fur is also quite long at the moment on my little poppet and so you can only see a peek of the bow tie on him.

My beautiful Lurcher Teddy Bear was the most photogenic. He's a big boy though so he has a thicker collar to support his neck and therefore the buckle had to be placed at the front.

What do you think of the Bow Ties? I think they make my little princes look posh.

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

So today I arrived at Primark at 8:30am and honestly it's the best time to go. Next time I will be getting up super early as this is the new way to shop. There were hardly any customers in and so I could browse at my own leisure and twirl and touch everything to my hearts content. It's a new store that has opened fifteen minutes away from me and you can park right outside it which is just perfect.

I was lucky to receive a gift card and money for Christmas and so I thought about what I actually needed beforehand. This is a big change for me as usually I just grab whatever I liked and then when I get the items home I was finding it hard to co-ordinate with other items I already have.

So the first item here are some snuggly pyjamas. I don't know about you but all I want to do in my house (in life) is be super snug and warm. I loved the rainbow and little hearts and these felt so thick and soft that I had to get them. I had seen some Care Bear ones on Instagram but they never have any in when I go unfortunately but I'm really happy with these ones.

These were £12 which are a little higher than other years but a bargain if you compare to other shops.

Now this is such a Laura item. Bambi is adorable and I've made an improvement with getting grey as it goes with everything. I still can't resist some uber cuteness. I just wanted something to pull on to be casual and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of this. This was also £12. I'm not sure how well the print will wash though? Hopefully it will be fine.

I needed some more plain bottoms so that my tops will go with them and so I opted for this chevron pair with an elastic waist as there's nothing worse than jeans digging in. I then put these grey joggers in my basket too and they have a tight fit at the ankles to pull them in. Both pairs were £6 each which I thought was a great price. I love pants like these as they are so easy to pull on and wear. They require little thought for busy days.

Next I got some accessories. I didn't see any jewellery that I liked at all which is a first and so I just picked up some essentials that I will use regularly. I always need black socks and these are such a good price at £2 for five pairs. The quality is quite good and I find them to last quite a while.

I then got three pairs of black tights for £5. I love the thicker ones as I ladder thin ones so they're a complete waste of my time. I've got some skirts coming from an online shop I did so these are a necessity.

I need slippers as I don't like it in winter when you walk on the floor and your feet are cold. They're so hard to warm up so the more slippers the better. My dogs pinch my slippers all the time so it's rare that I can find a pair.

I got the most boring brown bobbles that I have ever bought in my life but I thought you know what, at least they'll match my hair and blend in rather than the neon ones I usually get. Also where do bobbles disappear to ? I'm on my last one and I borrowed that one from my best friend too and didn't return it! How good is 50 bobbles for £1?

I love Reese's pieces and so, on a whim, I put this lip balm into my basket. It smells of chocolate more than peanut but this might change after I use it. It was £1.50.

I really needed some new winter boots and was looking for a biker style and flat as I needed to be able to walk in them easily. There were so many with heels on which would be ok for a night out but not for everyday. I spotted these ones and they are so sturdy and excellent quality. The inside also has a furry lining too to keep feet nice and snug. They only had a size up from mine left and I couldn't find any others so I tried them on and they actually fit. These were £15 and I'll get great wear out of these.

Finally I bought this cardigan for £12 which I'll be able to pull on over tonnes of outfits. I really needed something to keep me warm and pop over shirts and dresses that matched what I already had on. This one is perfect and thick.

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

The Prairie Pizzazz box created by Prairie Charms is a new subscription box that was launched to bloggers first and is now rolling out. Bloggers got to choose the first theme which was Festival and I was slightly later to discover it so the options had already been chosen. The people behind this box are one the most friendliest and efficient at customer service that I have ever come across so a glowing recommendation for that.

Festival theme was a perfect choice for this time of year so I was excited to receive my box . Unfortunately due to my box getting lost in the mail , I ordered in May and received it in late July.

I paid for the entirety of my box which was £25. It's a higher price than I pay for other subscription boxes but with it being quarterly and for the amount that you receive inside , I decided to go ahead and purchase one.

I love the surprise elements of subscription boxes and Prairie Charms offer you a personalisation by asking you what colours you prefer and what sorts of designs you like . I stated that I loved pastel colours, pink, glitter, unicorns, bows and hearts.

So let's see what I received inside...

The box was packaged beautifully with the polka dot gold and white tissue paper and inside were lots of festival themed accessories, jewellery and a few lifestyle items included too. I loved how they had included lots of sequins Inbetween the shredding too . A lot of thought has gone into the production of this box.

Lifestyle items :

Five stripy pink and white straws which I love as I have the Kilner jars and I'll use these for either pink lemonade or cocktails . The colours are just me too so these are fab .

I then received some pink and white chevron sweetie bags which are an excellent size and I think I may use these at my wedding . I already have some blue ones but they are a lot smaller than these.

Two sheets of pastel masking stickers which I'm not sure what I'll use them for yet but I need to get my blogging planner back out and perhaps use it to decorate that .

Creamy crunch popping corn . I love that there is a food item that you can make inside the box and I love popcorn . I've not actually made it myself before especially in a saucepan so that should be fun *sets off all smoke alarms in the house*

Hair accessories:

I love hair accessories and these are my favourite pieces in the whole box .

Pink butterfly hair slide which is super delicate as one of the wings has just fallen off and something that I would choose myself .

A cute twist bobble/ bracelet . It doesn't have elastic so it won't hold my hair on its own so would need to go over the top of another bobble but I love the little twisty ears on the top. It's not necessarily a pattern that I would choose for myself but once I've got it out of the packet and popped it onto my wrist I'm warming to it a lot.

Big blue hair bow . Now this wasn't a favourite when I saw it as I would've preferred a pastel colour but this shade will actually suit my hair colour. I do like teal and will wear this underneath my messy bun .

Pack of three hair ties . I love , love , love these and that's because the pink one has gold unicorns on it which are my absolute fave. I love the colours of the other two also and I'll use these often. These are my favourite item of the whole box.

Floral / Azteccy hairband. I love hair bands and have a drawer full of them . This is not one that I would choose at all because of the dark colours and pattern but with a black outfit I think this will look fab.

Jewellery:

Bead bracelet . I quite like the bow but I don't like dark colours and the black and purple beads are just not me so I'll be gifting this to a friend.

Tassel necklace . Again, not something I would ever choose myself and I'm not really keen on it as it's not my style or colour unfortunately .

Nail accessories and metallic tattoos:

Four tiny gold and silver temporary tattoos which are all the rage at the moment . I have the double infinity and a heart and stars pattern which I like .

Nail stickers in pink with hearts , arrows and chevrons.

So that's everything from my Prairie Pizzazz box . Would I buy it again ? Yes I have a mystical bag arriving which has been delayed :( and the new Luau party box on its way too! Yay !

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

I love reading and enjoy the pure escapism from the world. I love books that capture my imagination, that inspire and are a delight to read so when I spotted *Witchcraft Couture by the author Katarina West, I was intrigued to read more.

"Oscar Pellegrini is a talented fashion designer with a deadly enemy: his own critical mind. He destroys much of what he designs and has been drifting for years, gradually retreating from the fashion business he loves but holding on to his dreams of success.

A chance meeting with a former girlfriend triggers a creative crisis so deep that Oscar escapes to Russia, where he drinks and despairs like never before. Just when he thinks he has lost everything he discovers a magical machine that turns ordinary outfits into irresistible sartorial triumphs. Oscar takes the machine back to Italy - and before he knows it, he has become famous for his designs, and celebrities and socialites are fighting to be first to wear his gorgeous garments.

But the happily-ever-after ending for the fashion messiah turns into a nightmare when his dresses acquire a life of their own, gaining energy and evil as time goes on. Haunted by his creations, a dark secret he is no longer able to hide, Oscar finds himself fighting for his life and sanity, and searching for the answer to a question he never knew existed.

Is there such thing as stolen genius, and if there is, can it turn against the very person that stole it?"

I chose to read this book as I like anything to do with magic and this book encompassed fashion as well. The only other book that I can think of which is of similar connections is the 'Emperor's New Clothes,' which I read as a child and intertwined with the thinking of 'is it all in your head?'

The author Katarina is an intelligent, well cultured and friendly person whose writing in this book is highly descriptive. The characters, places and events are described in great detail with an impressive array of vocabulary.

It did take me quite a while to finish this book as different events took precedence in my life. I would say that the book was medium paced whereas I prefer a fast paced book that I can whip through easily. What kept me hooked was the wondering of what the magical machine was going to do and how it was going to end.

The book gets you thinking at the end which is a favourite technique of mine. Is the Sampo (magic machine) real or was it actually Oscar's talent after all which created the garments? Can the belief

that you're not good enough at something be directed elsewhere so that it seems as though someone or some thing else has created the magic? The fact that Oscar's friend Ben writes a letter at the end which gives a contrasting point of view throws the whole of Oscar's mind set in doubt.

Friday, 22 May 2015

Today I have a fashion sticker book to show you that my mum bought me from the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham.

This is the 'Sticker Fashionista. A Year In Fashion," Which retails at £8.95.

Did you ever have one of those paper doll books where you could colour and cut out the outfits ? I absolutely loved those as a child and still I am interested in fashion and creating outfits today. I coloured them in with my 100 pack of felt tips and spent hours on them.

The author , Kelly Smith, is an Australian illustrator who has worked for clients such as vogue, Net-A-Porter and H&M.

What they say;

"Follow the fashionista through the highlights of a stylish year on the catwalk and in couture at Cannes, on the ski slopes and in a bikini at the beach. From deciding on the dream wedding dress to choosing comfy colourful knits for the cold, summer bargain hunting to frocking up for a party, have fun dressing the models in this beautiful sticker book.

With over 150 reusable stickers, this book is a must for fashion lovers of all ages."

The book features life-like, detailed illustrations of models through an array of events and seasons . The paper used is of great quality and therefore this book will last. The paper has been chosen wisely so that the stickers can be reused.

The stickers are arranged into events so that they are easily located and they can be found in the centre of the book.

Stickers can only be placed onto certain models depending on their stances.

You can put the stickers onto the event models or there are additional models on the front and back inside covers.

The stickers were easy to peel off from both the glossy inside covers and also the paper used throughout the book . If you were to use the stickers a multitude of times then they would start to become tarnished and worn as, after I stuck them a few times, you could tell they were becoming used by the edges curling a little.

The book mentions designers throughout which are well known and has rhetorical questions to get you as a reader involved which adds an interesting edge to the book.

The book, to me, has a wide audience as children would love playing with this and so would people who love fashion regardless of age.

To make this even better I would have left some blank sticker pages and blank outfits so that they could have been coloured in and designed by myself.

Overall;

I thinks it's a fun book that would look great on a coffee table and is one of those pieces that you can return to again and again whether you have a spare 5 minutes or 20.

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

It's that super cute time of the month where my Kawaii Box arrives. Here's what I found in my April 2015 box.

My box this month was packed with lots of little treats.

Look how adorable the little face is on this love pen! I absolutely love it, it's just so cute.

I've had Hi- Chew before and they are moreish. These ones are orange flavoured and won't last me very long! Yummy!

Here I got some French decorative tape in a roll which is pretty. I need to think of a DIY activity that this would be great for. I love the vintage flowers on the box.

I received these polka dot envelopes which are very different. I love writing and receiving letters so will write one to my friend Kelly and send it in one of these. They would also be great for putting gift vouchers inside for presents for people.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate the absolute adorableness of this little pea squishee! I'm in pea heaven right now. This little guy is adorable.

I don't really use badges but the little face on this one is so sweet.

At first I thought oh it's a nail clipper and then when I tried to get the plastic off it wouldn't budge. So I thought oh maybe it's a hair clip instead and proceeded to try and clip it in my hair! ha ha ha! It fell out and yes it is a nail clipper after all.

This little diamond beauty matches the luggage tag that I received in my previous Kawaii box. I love the style of this.

I got another pack of stickers this month which are always well received. These are cute but just a little bland for me.

I love the lace effect on these stickers. They are to be used for decorating cups.

Some more post it notes which are in three shapes in this pack.

And finally a bow hair clip which I've never seen before. I use kirby grips in my hair to clip the front section back so hopefully this will look cute.

My favourite items this month are the little pen with the adorable face, the pea squishee and the Hi-Chews.

Remember on my Birthday wishlist where I included Library Of Fragrance scents? Well I was over the moon to receive the *Baby Powder and *Thunderstorm scents. You can buy 2 for £25 from Boots and I really want the fresh coconut and mango ones now after spotting them on the website.

The concept of these perfumes really intrigued me as I adore anything quirky and the thought of having a perfume that smelt like an everyday item, of which some are abstract, appealed to my nature.

Packaging:

The packaging to me is clear and simple. I like the use of a coloured box so that the scents are recognisable. It reminds me of the game Monopoly with their coloured property cards. The bottles are very plain and I would have liked to have seen something more quirky to go alongside the scents.

Price:

The perfumes are available in the UK from Boots and are price at £15 each or two for £25. This works out at £12.50 a bottle which I think is a great price and I may have to buy two (or four) very soon.

Performance:

*Baby Powder and *Thunderstorm are two of the most popular scents in the collection. I couldn't wait to try these so I sprayed Baby Powder on myself and spritzed my other half with the Thunderstorm. I could not stop smelling these!

Baby Powder smells exactly the same as.........baby powder and it's a gorgeous powdery baby smell which I'm very happy to smell of.

The 15ml spritzer tubes will actually last me quite a while so I'll get many a spray out of this.

After spritzing the Thunderstorm on my other half it was like a dawn of recognition and an awe of discovery! We both agreed that that would be what a thunderstorm smells like and it was a very wearable scent. I loved it on him.

The scents last a good few hours and then they can be topped up as I did so that I continued to smell lovely. I didn't find them overpowering at all, they had the perfect strength.

I want to sample them all!

Here's what the brand Demeter have to say about their products from their website here;

Originally established in 1996, Demeter set out to create fragrances that captured all the wonderful smells that surround us every day, but are too often under appreciated in our busy, pressured, multi-tasking world. The first three scents belonging to the collection – Dirt,Grass and Tomato – were launched at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. With the brand quickly gathering a loyal cult following, the concept soon expanded to include an even broader range of smells – no matter how odd or unusual – and scents such as Gin & Tonic, Baby Powder and even Play-Doh began to populate the library.

Today, Demeter’s head office remains in Greater New York, whilst the 20,000 square foot factory is located in central Pennsylvania. Everything the company sells is made in this factory, enabling the brand to continue to specialise in unique fragrances and the kind of labour-intensive, short-run, hand-bottled production that makes it possible to carry such a diverse ‘library’ of products.

Scents are now created by Demeter’s CEO, Mark Crames, who has been running fragrance companies since 1986. His creations include the top-selling Baby Powder, Pure Soap and Clean Skin and he continues to travel the world looking for inspiration for great, new Demeter experiences.

Today, Demeter’s products are sold in over 35 countries – from Paris, to Moscow, to Hong Kong. There are over 300 unique fragrances in The Library of Fragrance collection – 101 of these are available in the UK via this website, with a carefully curated selection of favourites available exclusively at Boots."